There should be much easier access to the data generated by connected cars to maximise the potential they could bring to fleets, according to epyx.
The fleet e-commerce firm said that despite the increasing number of connected cars on the road, there is no direct way of accessing the information they generate in real time.
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Nazma Meer, growth strategy manager at epyx, explained: “For some years, we have been promised a future where a company car diagnoses its own faults or knows when a routine service is due, and sends the necessary data through the mobile network to be actioned by the fleet through their service and maintenance processes.
“Clearly, there are a whole host of benefits to be gained, from service booking with less human intervention through to minimising downtime by rectifying faults before they cause a breakdown.”
However Meer said that this is yet to happen because the real-time data is unreachable. As a result, there are several gaps in the overall process, which can be frustrating for all parties.
“For example, one manufacturer collects connected car information for leasing companies but then sends it by e-mail as a CSV file, meaning that it is not seen for days, by which time it is probably too late. This is processing 2019’s data using 1999’s methods.
“What is needed is a single source or small number of sources that collect this data and make it available to fleet operators.”
Meer added that the situation was frustrating for epyx because its 1link Service Network platform was already used by nearly all major leasing fleets in the UK to manage their SMR needs.
“Our platform is essentially ready to receive connected car data. Once it was collected from the vehicle, we would be able to use it as part of a holistic solution that seamlessly takes that information, contacts the driver, books the car in for work and then controls the whole service and maintenance process end-to-end.
“It is a way of handling SMR that benefits the driver, the fleet and the service centre and, with access to data, we could do it soon.”
